The season between summer and fall appears to be the time when fresh figs make their appearance in abundance in markets and stores.  Growing up in India, the only figs we had ever tasted were the dried kind and since these were much too expensive for our humble, middle class budget, we eagerly looked forward to receiving them in gift boxes around the Diwali holiday season.

To be completely honest, I only discovered fresh figs a few years ago and my adventures in the kitchen with these delectable powerhouses of fiber, vitamins and minerals is even more recent.

Since imitation is the best form of flattery, I am not ashamed to admit that I recently followed a few published recipes to attain a state that I am going to call as “figutopia” also known as “fignirvana”.

The first dish was an incredibly easy but amazing to look at fig galette that I have served and eaten plain or with ice cream and/or whipped cream.  Even in its simplest state, the crumbly, shortbread crust barely hugging an abundance of glorious fresh figs is a match made in heaven between nature and manmade.  As we bit into morsels of the crust which melted in our mouths, we would be surprised with the figs that had turned slightly jammy under the heat and warmed their way through our taste buds.

This is what the galette looked like pre and post baking.  You can find the recipe from the team @cookinglight here.

The second baking expedition involved a fig and almond cake from the super inspiring team @nytfood.  This one intrigued me because of the low levels of flour in the recipe and the addition of freshly ground almonds to make the batter.  Again, while this was easy to make, it looked stunning, giving the illusion of tons of hard work in the kitchen!

Take a look at the cake below pre and post baking.  Do you agree that it looks absolutely beautiful?  You can find the recipe here! Our thumbs up came from the man of the house who finished every last morsel on his plate 🙂

I plan to try a few more dishes before these fresh figs disappear for the season.  This thought makes me sad and long for living in a place like California where these fruits are abundant.  I’d love to hear more about your favorite ways to eat and prepare figs.  Please share.